On the Billancourt bank, where the river curves, opposite Seguin Island, the landscape generates urban partition. Two features assert their presence. First the river, which is linear, infinite and divides the site horizontally. And then the island itself, which, following the curve of the river, forms a crucible opposite the vacant trapezium, promoting interaction across the banks of the river.
The project’s angular plot enjoys great visibility within the landscape.
The programme comprises 270 residential dwellings, a 5 000 sqm retail area and a 600-space public car park. The retail area covers most of the ground floor.
The residential dwellings directly above are divided into three entities for visual permeability.
The central courtyard consists of three layered and interconnected levels. The first is an extension of the path linking the adjacent park to the Seine. The other two are distinctive in that they are raised and thus stand out from the landscaped areas nearby, both treated as pontoons, one facing the river and the other facing the park.
The pontoons are designed as an extension of the apartments, providing large terraces overlooking the city.
The Seine-facing facades comply with the generic rules regarding urban continuity. Reflecting the scale of the site, they are linear, fully glazed and protected from the sun by the overhanging balconies. The bays form a repetitive pattern echoing the horizontal expansion inherent to the river. A second skin, also glazed, creates an intermediate space, where the freely positioned walls offer scope to modulate the size of the inner space, from season to season. The resulting depth differential of the facade reintroduces the notion of transversality and engages the building in a dialogue with the island.
The reflective underside of the balconies broadens the visual field, while the aqua green strips on the cladding bring, right into the dwellings, the shimmer of the river.
